1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an instrument for measuring a player's bat speed. Over a number of swings, the bat speed data can be used to determine the maximum ball speed after contact and the optimum bat weight. Baseball and softball are examples of sports in which the use of the instrument would be appropriate. The invention also relates to a process of obtaining data on bat speed, plotting the bat speed data, fitting a best fit curve to the data, using the best fit curve of physiological data to obtain the ball speed after contact, plotting the ball speed, determining the maximum-ball-speed bat weight and the optimum bat weight.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ball players have long been searching for a means and/or process of determining the best weight bat to take to the plate. That there has not been one to date highlights the need.
For the St. Louis Cardinals the weight of the bat is "the player's personal preference". On the New York Yankees, "each individual player determines the style of bat he prefers".
Fenn and Marsh, in 1935; Hill in 1938; and Wilke in 1950 discussed the decrease of muscle speed with increasing load.
In 1963 Kirkpatrick assumed an optimal bat weight to be one that "requires the least energy input to impart a given velocity to the ball".
In 1987 Brancazio, assumed the batter generates a fixed quantity of energy in a swing and determined that the ball's speed after collision depended on five factors. He concluded optimal bat weight to be 15 oz.
Gutman and Kaat, in 1988, discussed corking bats.
But the name of the game is not to have the least energy input for a given ball velocity nor to impart fixed kinetic energy to the bat.
It's a game of inches. And the key is ball speed. And distance. Through the infield. Into the gap. Just over the wall. Noone has determined before now the best bat weight in a given game situation for a player to impart maximum speed to the ball.
The present invention is directed toward a process for determining the maximum-ball-speed bat weight which combines determinations from the momentum equations and physiological determinations and an instrument which can be used to determine the maximum-ball-speed bat weight a player should use. The maximum-ball-speed bat weight is used to determine the optimum bat weight.